Job's Complaint

Q1. Why doesn’t God prevent natural disasters?
Q2. We don’t seem to have anything to learn from “Acts of God”!

A1.F or all we know God regularly intervenes to prevent and mitigate natural disasters. How can we know what God averted given that it was averted? If God preserved ignorant human beings from natural disasters the foundation of “moral hazard” would be undermined.The end in view is of such great value that it justifies the necessary means, the down-side of which pales into insignificance once the final outcome is grasped.
A2. If God averted all natural disasters this would amount to subverting the very basis of Physical Law which holds the whole world in being. Although this would be possible it would make the world fundamentally irrational and at the best very difficult for human beings to “do science”. In deed it might very well entirely demotivate them from this enterprise.

The voice of Job cries out to Heaven: “What have I done?
There’s no just cause for all my liability
to suffer earthquake, hurricane and techtonic eruption.
Why must my best laid plans all end up in futility?
I’m plagued and starved and threatened by corruption
and after my set time by prospect of senility!”


The voice of God replies to Job: “Mark well these words my son,
you’ve no just case against me.
For you have no idea what I’ve already done
for all my folk who live beneath the rainbow gay
which is my favour’s pledge to all humanity.
Your notion of what by physic’s law must come
is based on what you see from day to day
but this is full of my preventive action
how will you then renormalise my grace away?
If I were reticent in giving benediction
the state of things would be much more awry!”



Now Job retorts, in flaming woe: “It would be hard to bear
if only sinners came to such calamity,
but often it’s the just and kind who suffer
this seems to me a great profanity!
You exploit the innocent for sport.
Not content with their servility,
You love to see their red blood spurt.
Delighting in their vulnerability
you shoot your barbs, and cut their sad lives short!”



God makes response, with kindly sense: “But pain and death are not as bad
as they may seem; for there’s a life beyond the grave.
I take no pleasure in what makes you sad
it is my will to prosper you and save
you from all ill. I have no need
for entertainment of that kind
or any other! I want you to succeed
and in this wondrous world to find
much joy! My business is for you to learn
to tell what’s good from what is not,
and my unfeigned respect to earn.
Moral hazard’s necessary if your sort
is ever to exceed what’s natural
and so be worthy of the Life Eternal.”



But Job is not remotely satisfied and shouts: “You say that we
must learn to tell what’s right from wrong
by finding out the upshot of our agency;
but the actions of which my feeble tongue
makes its sincere complaint are Thine,
O God inscrutable –not mine!

What am I supposed to learn from them?
It seems, at best, that You don’t care;
for if You did, You’d intervene
to stop them taking effect where
the innocent would elsewise suffer –
if You were at all just and fair.”



God answers Job, most patiently: “An option’s risk being understood,
if you take it, then that’s your doom!
Choose active fault line as your neighbourhood,
or else the shadow of volcanic cone,
or plateau scoured often by tornadoes,
or shore which tzunamis frequent;
than you must accept all of those
outcomes which flow – or else repent.

The evils of which you make moan
are not my acts intentional
but certain and most sure outcome
of Cosmic rule conventional
which solid holds the World as one.

I must not subsidise your folly
for then you could not learn.
The preservation of your autonomy
(which is a great and glorious good )
requires that I am resolute and stern.
This of my business is foundational
though repent of it I now would;
were making Man divine not my whole goal.”



A final point, Job pleads with God: “You should at least the ignorant show pity
averting dangers of which they don’t know.
If they are unaware that their fair city
sits on a crack that’s fit to make it rock and roll,
or have no clue their scenic mount
is filled with magma, and so soon
with pumice and with flame will fount
and like a lanced carbuncle spume;
then You should reign back every law
for they're secure only as far
as You allow. You’re able to act for
the innocent, if for them You do care –
as You claimed when challenged, after
Your first supper, with your dear friend, before
the fiery doom on Sodom and sad Gomorrah
was cast down. Then the innocent You saw
and You did a good while forebear!”



God then replies from the gyre of His grace: “If the volcano’s blast ne’er hurt
those who knew not its power to harm,
and I always shielded the ignorant,
this would discourage the naïve to learn.

Ish and Ishsha were secured in Eden
by My strict pedagoguey of their innocence
but to explore beyond that narrow glen
they had to taste experience.

If things were not how they are now,
you’d have no reason truth to know.
The more that you came to see how
things work, and did in wisdom grow;
grasping the designs of the world:
the less you would be able to rely
on my sure aid, as being curled
up in my gentle arms, safely.

No sooner than you realised this fact
you’d seek out that knowledge no more
which your first paradisial state had lacked;
but rather your naïvety you would try to restore!

This would undo human autonomy
and worthy self-respect
and its an outcome which I hope you’ll see
I rightly do reject.”

Angelic Confusion

The Angels asked their Father God,

why gave He them a will so bold:

to choose glad life and death between:

the fire of Hell and light of Heaven.

Confused, they pondered it were best

that they had been constrainèd fast,

and held to good and wholesome life;

protected from the pains of strife

as clockwork watch is surely bound

to tell the time when wound.

For choice implies the bane of ill,

and ignorant mistake and fall,

and pain and mis’ry tightly held

(for comfort’s sake, if truth be told)

and none of all the host would dare

(not out of fear nor want of care)

assert their certain sight of right

(for all their power and all their might)

beyond a thirst and hunger barbed

that’s not so soon denied.

Better, ’twould seem to have at heart

an instinct: knowledge to impart;

to speak and powerfully direct

the will to all that’s just and right,

and ’gainst all choices curst and wrong.

Then joys would surely ’bout them throng

and sin ne’re mar the spirit bold

but all would be in concord held

by fearsome chains and fastest bond

of tutelage so fond.

“But there’s the snag, my fiery folk,”

their Heavenly Father gently spoke.

“If I held fast your wills by might

(as is my power and is my right)

what space would be for you to know

for your own selves; to see and show,

by trial dire, the right and wrong

of life: to feel within so strong

its pains and pleasures oh so dear

its clarion call so clear?”

“All you would know was slavery

arrayed in shrouds, most drear and grey.

Autonomy would ne’re be yours:

automatons you’d be, wills fixed by laws.

No proper understanding you would have

of woeful hate or wealthy love,

the cost or prize of selfish action

the bliss of righteous satisfaction:

never sound merit to accrue

nor joy of knowledge true.”

“And so, instead, I set you free

and take the cost and pain to me

Creator and Saviour, both Am I:

no callous clocksmith deity.”

“Else trust my word, heed what I say

and learn yourself the righteous way

or shun that path and take your own

though it be sad and makes you moan.

You can have life or death, you know:

choose life, I urge you now!”ⁱ

i“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.” [Deut 30:19 RSV]

Snufkin's Departure

“Farewell to the old
and hello to the new”
Snufkin said to himself,
as he turned his wan face
from familiar valley
and friendship and comfort
from all that was safe and secure;
from the family who’d held him
close in their heart
from the hearth-fires of home
and the table well-laid
and the one heart which loved,
and even now ached,
with the loss of his friend.


The pass South now beckoned
its call was so strong
insistent and ardent
unyielding as stone.
The desire to explore:
to find what was real
(not safe and secure) urged him on:
intent on disclosing
the truth in his heart,
forgetful of bond,
of duty and need
and the one heart which loved,
and even now ached,
with the loss of his friend.

Each Spring was the same,
yet this time felt different
as if he might find
what he yearned for at last
and never return:
to the faces he knew
choosing freedom and danger and distance
the austere pilgrim’s path
so clearly set out
away turning from faith
and affection and home
and the one heart which loved,
and even now ached,
with the loss of his friend.


As he trudged on, alone,
the whole world before him
fear and elation
welled up in his soul:
The glorious challenge
of self-righteous living
awakened the rush of expecting,
fell things and foul
to be overcome;
but none so hard to escape
as the memory
of the one heart which loved,
and even now ached,
with the loss of his friend.

Still, he shrugged and pressed on,
through snow snuggled forests,
past hard granite rocks
from cliffs long-time fallen
now resting half-buried
in leaf mould and earth.
His mind was sure, now resolved:
he’d make his own way
and gladly accept
what the Fates had in store
– be it ever so dire –
though his own heart still loved,
and even now ached,
with the loss of his friend.